Etymograph

English

evident

Evident comes from Latin ēvidēns ‘visible, apparent, clear, plain’, from videō ‘to appear, seem’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-‘to see’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*widéh₁yetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*widēō‘to see’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideōas videor‘to appear, seem’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēvidēns‘visible, apparent, clear, plain’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400evident
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1907same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-‘to see’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*widéh₁yetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*widēō‘to see’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideōas videor‘to appear, seem’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēvidēns‘visible, apparent, clear, plain’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400evident
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1907same form

Earliest quotation: 1907, Harold Bindloss, Toronto: “Maccario, it was evident, did not care to take…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’

story, guy, idea, advice, witness, wise, historic, wisdom, guide, wit, wizard, historian, advise, idol, witty, guise, visitation, steroid, tabloid, improvise, revue, envious, envision, druid, twit, avis, hypothyroidism, witter, hyperthyroidism, idyll, parathyroid, weet, trapezoid, thyroxine, hyoid, colloid, thyroiditis, visite, sigmoid, 93 more

through Proto-Indo-European *widéh₁yeti

providential, 14 more

through Proto-Italic *widēō ‘to see’

provision, revision, providence, invisibility, prudential, vada, provident, 16 more

through Latin videō ‘to appear, seem’

visit, video, review, provide, interview, vision, invisible, visa, visibility, vista, revise, jurisprudence, prudent, prudence, voyeur, purview, purveyor, proviso, vide, invidious, 18 more

Today it means

adj Obviously true by simple observation.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyd- / evident

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